Fiat Chrysler Joins BMW and Intel’s Autonomous Car Alliance

Just over a year since BMW Group teamed up with chipmaker Intel and sensor firm Mobileye to develop a driverless car platform, the alliance has signed up another major car manufacturer: Fiat Chrysler.

The addition of Fiat Chrysler will give the alliance a big potential boost in the North American market, as it prepares to start testing autonomous vehicles by the end of this year. It’s been a busy week for the U.S.-Italian combination, whose shares soared on Monday in response to rumors that a number of Chinese auto makers are interested in buying it.